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PV High Wind User Test Facility
The creation of a PV high wind test facility at the NREL Flatirons Campus that will enable private and public research efforts aimed at storm hardening PV systems. The facility will be instrumented to monitor effects of high wind conditions on modules and other array components. These in-field tests will coordinate with flow models, wind tunnel testing, validation of PV aeroelastic design codes, and post-testing module and system component analysis.
Sunfolding NREL High Wind Test Site Project (Final Report)
Wind speeds at the NREL National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) vary dramatically from summer to winter. Wind speeds are low over the summer and high over the winter. The data collected from this site will allow validation of the survivability of the Sunfolding tracker under high wind events, increased understanding of the dynamic behavior of the Sunfolding tracker at different wind speeds.
Compounding climate change impacts during high stress periods for a high wind and solar power system in Texas
Power system planning aims at ensuring that sufficient supply- and demand-side assets exist to meet electricity demand at all times. For a Texas electric power system with high wind and solar penetrations, we quantify how climate change will affect supply and demand during three types of high stress periods for the power grid: high demand hours, high net demand hours, and high system ramp hours. We specifically quantify effects on demand, reductions in available thermal capacity (i.e. thermal deratings), wind and solar generation, and net demand. We estimate each using meteorological variables from five climate change projections (2041-2050) assuming Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 and from a reference period (1996-2005). All five projections indicate that climate change will increase demand by up to 2 GWh during high demand hours (4% of demand in the reference period) and increase net demand by up to 3 GWh during high net demand periods (6% of net demand in the reference period). All five projections also indicate thermal deratings will increase during high demand and net demand periods by up to 2 GWh and high net demand ramps will increase by up to 2 GW. Overall, our results indicate compounding effects of climate change in Texas will necessitate greater investment in peak and flexible capacity.
Mobile, high-wind, balloon-launching apparatus
In order to place instruments for measuring meteorological and electrical parameters into thunderstorms, an inexpensive apparatus has been developed which makes it possible to inflate, transport, and launch balloons in high winds. The launching apparatus is a cylinder of bubble plastic that is made by joining the sides of the cylinder together with a velcro rip strip. A balloon is launched by pulling the rip strip rapidly. This allows the balloon to pop upward into the ambient low-level wind and carry its instrumentation aloft. Different-sized launch tubes are constructed to accommodate particular sizes of balloons. Balloons have been launched in winds of about 20 m/s.
Low-frequency acoustic propagation in high winds
The effect of refraction due to wind gradients on low-frequency acoustic signals over large propagation distances is considered. The results of an investigation of low-frequency propagation in high winds are presented and compared to normal mode theory for the downwind propagation case. In the downwind direction, the low-frequency signal was channeled close to the ground resulting in a divergence of 3 dB per doubling of propagation distance. Predictions of both ray tracing and normal mode theoretical models supported the downwind cylindrical spreading. In effect, the low-frequency noise signals propagate further in the presence of wind in the downwind direction. No low-frequency acoustic shadow zone was observed in the upwind direction.
Generation of high-winding-number superfluid circulation in Bose-Einstein condensates
We experimentally and numerically demonstrate a method to generate multiply quantized superfluid circulation about an obstacle in highly oblate Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). We experimentally achieve pinned superflow with winding numbers as high as 11, which persists for at least 4 s. Our method conceptually involves spiraling a blue-detuned laser beam, around and towards the center of the BEC, and is experimentally implemented by moving the BEC in a spiral trajectory around a stationary laser beam. This optical potential serves first as a repulsive stirrer to initiate superflow, and then as a pinning potential to transport the superfluid circulation within the BEC. The spiral technique can be used either to generate a high-winding-number persistent current, or for controlled placement of a cluster of singly quantized vortices of the same circulation. Thus, the technique may serve as a building block in experimental architectures to create on-demand vortex distributions in BECs.
Airborne Scatterometers: Investigating Ocean Backscatter Under Low- and High-Wind Conditions
One key parameter in understanding the weather is the ocean surface wind vector because of its role in the energy exchange at the air-sea interface.
Transient Stability and Frequency Response of the Us Western Interconnection Under Conditions of High Wind and Solar Generation
Adding large amounts of wind and solar generation to bulk power systems that are traditionally subject to operating constraints set by transient stability and frequency response limitations is the subject of considerable concern in the industry. The US Western Interconnection (WI) is expected to experience substantial additional growth in both wind and solar generation. These plants will, to some extent, displace large central station thermal generation, both coal and gas-fired, which have traditionally helped maintain stability. Our paper reports the results of a study that investigated the transient stability and frequency response of the WI with high penetrations of wind and solar generation. Moreover, the main goals of this work were to (1) create a realistic, baseline model of the WI, (2) test selected transient stability and frequency events, (3) investigate the impact of large amounts of wind and solar generation, and (4) examine means to improve performance.
Transient Stability of the US Western Interconnection with High Wind and Solar Generation
The addition of large amounts of wind and solar generation to bulk power systems that are traditionally subject to operating constraints set by transient limitations is the subject of considerable concern in the industry. The US Western Interconnection (WI) is expected to experience substantial additional growth in both wind and solar generation. These plants will, to some extent, displace large central station thermal generation, both coal and gas-fired, which have traditionally helped maintain stability. This paper reports the results of a study that investigated the transient stability of the WI with high penetrations of wind and solar generation. The main goals of this work were to (1) create a realistic, baseline model of the WI, (2) test selected transient stability events, (3) investigate the impact of large amounts of wind and solar generation, and (4) examine means to improve performance.
Transient Stability and Frequency Response of the US Western Interconnection Under Conditions of High Wind and Solar Generation
The addition of large amounts of wind and solar generation to bulk power systems that are traditionally subject to operating constraints set by transient stability and frequency response limitations is the subject of considerable concern in the industry. The US Western Interconnection (WI) is expected to experience substantial additional growth in both wind and solar generation. These plants will, to some extent, displace large central station thermal generation, both coal and gas-fired, which have traditionally helped maintain stability. This paper reports the results of a study that investigated the transient stability and frequency response of the WI with high penetrations of wind and solar generation. The main goals of this work were to (1) create a realistic, baseline model of the WI, (2) test selected transient stability and frequency events, (3) investigate the impact of large amounts of wind and solar generation, and (4) examine means to improve performance.
Observed drag coefficients in high winds in the near offshore of the South China Sea
This paper investigates the relationships between friction velocity, 10 m drag coefficient, and 10 m wind speed using data collected at two offshore observation towers (one over the sea and the other on an island) from seven typhoon episodes in the South China Sea from 2008 to 2014. The two towers were placed in areas with different water depths along a shore-normal line. The depth of water at the tower over the sea averages about 15 m, and the depth of water near the island is about 10 m. The observed maximum 10 min average wind speed at a height of 10 m is about 32 m s⁻¹. Momentum fluxes derived from three methods (eddy covariance, inertial dissipation, and flux profile) are compared. The momentum fluxes derived from the flux profile method are larger (smaller) over the sea (on the island) than those from the other two methods. The relationship between the 10 m drag coefficient and the 10 m wind speed is examined by use of the data obtained by the eddy covariance method. The drag coefficient first decreases with increasing 10 m wind speed when the wind speeds are 5–10 m s⁻¹, then increases and reaches a peak value of 0.002 around a wind speed of 18 m s⁻¹. The drag coefficient decreases with increasing 10 m wind speed when 10 m wind speeds are 18–27 m s⁻¹. A comparison of the measurements from the two towers shows that the 10 m drag coefficient from the tower in 10 m water depth is about 40% larger than that from the tower in 15 m water depth when the 10 m wind speed is less than 10 m s⁻¹. Above this, the difference in the 10 m drag coefficients of the two towers disappears.
The Economic Impacts of High Wind Penetration Scenarios in the United States
The U.S. electric sector is experiencing rapid increases in renewable generation with an expectation of continued growth. We examine the impacts of increased wind electricity on the U.S. economy using a hybrid model that links a detailed electric sector model (the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Regional Energy Deployment System [ReEDS]) with a computable general equilibrium model of the U.S. economy (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's U.S. Regional Energy Policy [USREP] model). Increasing wind capacity displaces fossil fuels for electricity generation, which depresses fossil fuel prices and reduces economy-wide CO 2 emissions. Competitive wind deployment in the reference scenario achieves these outcomes with lower electricity prices than a scenario with wind capacity fixed at 2016 levels. Lower fossil fuel and electricity prices benefit low-income households, but the dominant economic impacts are driven by increased electric sector investment and capital returns, which primarily benefit those with higher incomes. Overall, cost-competitive wind provides benefits to the U.S. economy that are initially low but rise beyond 2030 to achieve cumulative welfare and GDP improvements of $110 and $111 billion through 2050. Prescribing additional wind deployment (meeting 35% of demand by 2050) increases post-2030 electricity prices but not more so than keeping wind capacity fixed at 2016 levels. The negative effect of higher prices on welfare, however, is outweighed by higher returns from the additional wind investment. While these changes favor higher income classes, we find economy-wide benefits through 2040. These benefits diminish by 2050, but the cumulative additional gains through 2050, beyond the reference case, are $192 billion in welfare and $150 billion in GDP.
Frequency Response of the US Eastern Interconnection Under Conditions of High Wind and Solar Generation
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Angle Instability Detection in Power Systems with High-Wind Penetration Using Synchrophasor Measurements
Abstract not provided
Emergency Response: U.S. System Frequency with High Wind Penetration
Abstract not provided
Evaluation of Production Cost Savings from Consolidation of Balancing Authorities in the US Western Interconnection under High Wind and Solar Penetration
This paper introduces a comprehensive analysis to quantify the potential savings in production cost due to consolidation of 32 US western interconnection Balancing Authorities (BAs). Three simulation scenarios are developed: current Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) BAs structure, full copper-sheet consolidation, and full consolidation with transmission congestion considered. The study uses WECC Transmission Expansion Planning Policy Committee (TEPPC) model that was developed for the year 2020. The model assumes 8% wind and 3% solar energy penetration as percentage of total WECC demand in 2020. Sensitivity analyses are carried out to assess the impact of transmission hurdle rates between WECC BAs on potential benefits. The study shows savings that ranges from $400 Million (2.4% of total one year production cost) to $600 Million (3.2%) per year in thermal units production cost due to consolidation can be achieved. The copper sheet consolidation scenario shows an extra savings of $240 Million (1.4%) per year.